Recruitment consultants are the most stressed out workers in the UK, according to a new survey.
The Stroke in Business report by The Stroke Association charity surveyed 1,000 workers in a variety of professions. It identified the recruitment sector as the most stressful working environment in the UK, with 82% of recruitment consultants regularly feeling stressed at work.
The report also looked into how workers deal with stress, finding that many respond in unhealthy ways, such as drinking (34%), smoking (23%), comfort eating (43%) and even taking recreational drugs (4%). The report calls on employers to do more to encourage staff to take regular exercise to combat stress.
The current tough economic conditions mean many recruitment consultants were likely to be feeling the pressure at work, according to Greg Orme, chief executive at recruitment company Major Players.
"It's not surprising that people in our industry experience stress on a regular basis. We work in a highly competitive environment, sometimes working long hours to deliver results for our clients and candidates," he said.
"When the economy isn't as buoyant as normal, it can make the job even more demanding, so it's vital that companies take steps to encourage their people to deal with stress in a healthy way."
Each year an estimated 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke. A common misconception is that strokes only affect older people, but about a quarter happen to people of working age.
Joe Korner, director of external affairs at The Stroke Association, said: "Stress clearly affects a great deal of the working population, and while stress in itself is undesirable, responding to it in the wrong ways can all lead to high blood pressure, which is the single biggest risk factor for stroke."
The UK's top 10 most stressful occupations
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Recruitment
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Legal
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Education
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Marketing, advertising, PR
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Healthcare, nursing, social services
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Banking, insurance, finance
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Customer services and call centres
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Telecommunications
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Homemaking
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Retailing
Source: Stroke in Business report
COMMENTS
I was interested to read this news story and sympathise with recruiters who are struggling to maintain an exclusive relationship with their clients as it becomes more difficult to match candidates with job roles. With the uncertain economic climate, companies are understandably cutting back on recruitment, yet putting increased pressure on recruiters to find the best possible candidates for the roles they do have available.
SHL’s Recruitment Partner Programme has experienced increased demand from the industry for psychometric assessments, in addition to advice on job profiling and structured interviews. These can be beneficial in giving both the client and consultant an objective perspective on a candidate’s abilities, making it more likely that they will make a successful hire. This can offer huge savings in the long-run, making it more likely that a new starter will be capable and engaged from the word ‘go’ and less likely to leave after six months. That should help lower stress for recruiters.
Nigel Thomas, VP Indirect Channels, SHL
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